USC quarterback Matt Barkley came back for it all this season. He’d hoped to win a national championship, the Heisman Trophy and all of the accolades that come with being the best.

Instead, he’ll leave after an extremely disappointing regular season that saw USC finish 7-5 and get no further than the Sun Bowl against Georgia Tech. If Barkley were full of regrets, no one could blame him.

Matt Barkley passed up the 2012 NFL Draft to return to USC his senior year, but things haven't worked out as planned. (AP Photo)

Barkley isn’t expected to play in the Dec. 31 bowl game, and an official decision on whether he'll play could come on Thursday, The Orange County Register reported. He injured his shoulder against UCLA and will soon begin preparation for the NFL combine and workouts.

But, while he may not regret his decision to return for his senior year, he is hurt nonetheless by the way season played out, says teammate and close friend, center Khaled Holmes. Holmes said they were both “down in the dumps.”

“(Barkley) maybe more so because of what he gave up to come back and the opportunities he had. But, you know, he’s human too.”

And it is Barkley the man, even more than the player, whom many will remember. His prospects as an NFL player will be evaluated and dissected over the next few months. But at USC, despite his final season, he has already made his mark.

“I’ll remember Matt Barkley as somebody that was so strong through all of this,” coach Lane Kiffin told the paper. “The way he treats people and who he is.”